Buddhist Pilgrimage at Mount Wutai: Architecture, Landscape, and Religious Heritage

Mount Wutai, China's earliest Buddhist center dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), has undergone significant transformations in its monastic strategies and pilgrimage routines over centuries. This study reveals that these changes were driven by shifting geo-capital support and evolving Buddhist ideologies, progressing from free monasticism during the Northern Wei period (386–534 CE) to a Mañjuśrī maṇḍala mode in the Sui Tang era (581–907 CE), and ultimately adopting a predominant Tibetan Buddhist character by the Qing Dynasty (1630–1912 CE). The research employs archival studies of ancient transcripts and maps to map representative dynamic pilgrimage routines and elucidate these ideological shifts. This work sheds light on the complex interplay between religious heritage, architecture, and landscape in shaping Mount Wutai's identity as a global Buddhist pilgrimage site.

Wang, X., Ren, X., & Woudstra, J. (2023). Buddhist Pilgrimage at Mount Wutai: Architecture, Landscape, and Religious Heritage. Religions, 14(12), 1530. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14121530